Educating the Next Generation of Global Lawyers at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law

Fluency in Spanish opens doors to a world of legal opportunities. Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the U.S. and one of the three most commonly used languages in the world. The legal profession is beginning to acknowledge the dramatic changes of globalization and adapting to the challenges that this new era presents. The time has arrived for law schools to internationalize their curriculum through the teaching of foreign languages in the classroom.

The University of Denver Sturm College of Law is proud to be one of the first institutions in the country to pioneer an immersion method of language and law learning. Effective legal representation of Spanish-speaking clients in the U.S. and overseas requires a sophisticated set of legal, cultural and language skills that can only be taught by experienced legal professionals. By offering highly specialized courses, this program is training law students to use language skills in various legal and cultural contexts and at different levels of complexity. Although enrolling in a law course taught in Spanish is a decision that requires risk taking, students are rising to the challenge by participating in multicultural and cross-linguistic legal experiences in and outside of the classroom. Bilingualism is indeed a valuable credential for global professionals. The Lawyering in Spanish program is therefore creating new opportunities for law students to develop the tools necessary to thrive in today's competitive legal market.